INSPECTION OF THE LABORATORY. 99 



but it would be a great advantage were it possible to spend more 

 money on this department. All the chief zoological periodicals and 

 both British and foreign reports on fishery investigations are on our 

 shelves, besides most of the valuable and costly monographs on marine 

 organisms. The total number of volumes is about 1500, We 

 recommend that the series of Nature be bound at once. 



" The engines and machinery appear to be in excellent order. 



"Since last year a considerable improvement has been obtained in 

 the appearance of the water circulating in the show tanks. This 

 appears to be chiefly due to an ingeniously devised filter fitted by 

 Mr. Allen so as to pass all the water on its return from the tanks to 

 the reservoir. The Committee had an opportunity of observing how 

 large an amount of floating organic matter is thus removed in the 

 space of five hours. No chemical analyses of the water have been 

 made during the past year, and the Committee have directed Mr. Allen 

 to procure such analyses with a view to determining the amount of 

 organic and inorganic nitrogen now present. 



" The Committee were pleased to note this year that the tanks 

 were very abundantly stocked with a variety of interesting animals, 

 invertebrates as well as fishes. There is no doubt that there is at 

 Plymouth an abundant supply of forms, which become every year 

 more easily obtained owing to the increased experience of the Director 

 and his fishermen. For instance, the interesting Chaetopod, Chaetopterus, 

 is now in the tanks, and is not unfrequently fished. Owing to the use 

 of the large trawl with the steam winch, a larger and more varied 

 supply of animals is obtained. 



" Mr. Allen has removed the glass front from one of the tanks in 

 the show-room and converted it into a shallow tank, with the advantage 

 that the animals in it are much more easily observed than when seen 

 through the glass side. This alteration might perhaps be extended 

 with advantage to other tanks. 



" The Committee inspected the steam launch Busy Bee on the 

 afternoon of the 27th, and especially examined the steam winch. 

 Everything was in excellent order. 



(Signed) "E. Kay Lankestek, President. 

 "F. K. Bkddaud." 



O 2 



